Monday, January 30, 2012

Sh. Dharam Pal Maur who represent non teaching employees of PAU for six consecutive terms, for a total period of twelve years, have a considerable vote bank in the campus of PAU was shocked to see that the BLO Mehal Singh Sidhu, who affiliated to a particular political party, committed a corrupt practice and by ignoring all the directions of the election commission illegally deleted the names of 159 voters. The total numbers of the voters which were caste the votes pooling station no.26 was 724. Large number of voters whose names were deleted came present to caste their votes. Out of them some were renewed agricultural scientists. They were having valid election voter identity cards with them. The strongly protested against the corrupt practice of the BLO. Dharam Pal Maur also felt shocked and expressed grief that for narrow purposes of Sh.Mehal Singh Sidhu interfered in the pious act of exercise of franchise. This illegal act of the BLO has caused irrepairable loss to his win ability. He has requested the Chief Election Commission of India, Chief Election Officer Punjab and Returning officer to cancel the pooling in pooling station no.26 and to order to re-pole after correcting the voters list.

Another story from a free lance journalist Manmeet Kaur conveys the same complaint.She and her mother were not allowed to cast their votes. she reports,"I left home to vote at 9:30 and got home at noon--in 24 years of voting, I've never seen this. I had to park way down the road from my polling place, which had 4 long lines that filled the building when I arrived and stretched outside by the time I left. The polls were well staffed and running smoothly. . Several neighbors waved from other lines, and a couple of them came up to chat. I could've voted absentee, but how many opportunities are there to participate publicly in our democracy? And due to the government apathy i missed my right to vote but then I came to know that I was not only me who could not cast her vote. There were some 150 more voters in Kitchlu Nagar B block who could not cast their respective votes. Dr. Balwinder B O who was there in the sraff informed this,"when our employee go for the survey then there was lock or some thing else so we delete the voter from the list. Frustrated voters were not satisfied with this cover up reply.